Abortion a personal, not public, decision

Posted: Tuesday, May 02, 2000

By Susan M. Taylor

Where are all of the ``unscrupulous abortion facilities and operators'' who are after the ``abortion revenue'' referenced in the April 24 My Turn letter by the president of Alaskans for Life Inc.? In 1974 (the year after Roe v. Wade and legalization) 80 percent of hospitals provided abortion services nationwide. Today only 7 percent provide abortion services.

Women have enormous freedoms in this country: the privilege of choosing whom and when to marry, the ability to compete in the economic marketplace, and when to have a child - or even whether to have a child. These are all relatively new freedoms for women in the history of mankind, even in the United States. Some people feel that having an abortion is morally objectionable, as is birth control, divorce and other personal decisions.

Abortion is a personal decision. Some people will raise any, however ridiculous, barriers to women exercising control over their bodies.